Spinning device for drill pipe



March 12, 1957 Filed May 5, 1955 PAGET 2,784,626

SPINNING DEVICE FOR DRILL PIPE 2 Sheets-Sheet l i Y Ag:

, 'llllrlllllllln March l2, 1957 Filed May 5,4 1955 Ezyr W. W. PAGET SPINNING DEVICE FOR DRILL PIPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (H10/wfg.

. assume in tpractice.

United States Patent O M This invention relates to spinning deviceslandmore 'particularly to f spinning A"devices Efor 'rapidly "rotating seetions or stands "of idrillpipe during the coupling and 'unloopling Eof Athe drill Ypipe joints of adr'ill 'string of an il "field rig.

in o'il "Well ldrill frigs the drill pipe joints fof the 'drill string fare 'usually ltriade and broken oy make and 'break tongs, `and during :the coupling and decoupling 'offthe joints it is "desirable to 'rotate 'rapidly/the upperlpipesec- 'tion or see-tionstoi'expedite the running invorfgoing 'out `of 'the drill *string in 'the hole. The .present invention fis lan improvement over'the'spinning deviceof iny'cop'e'ndfing application Serial No. 33'5'A77, filed February 6, "11953, now matured 'into Aiatent No. 2,746,329, "dated May-22111956.

JArrolijectoi'the ptesentinvieiition is'to:provide1an'im :proved 'spinning `device for `drill pipe 'of Aa dr'ill string such as used -inoil 4well "drilling `Another'object is `-to eprovide ran improved -spinning device `having vimproved fand =re`liabl`e means for `engaging fand rotating fthe drill :pipe.` A further `object Tis'to tprovide an improved spinihihg device "having an endless chain for engaging fand rotating 'the Adrill ipipe=and improved Ayieldable tensioning means -or 1the-endless ich ain. A "still rfurther object isto `provide `an improved spinning device having improved pipeirotating means Vforengaging =-sections i of drill `pipe of 'diiierent diameters. `improved spinning kdevice -whereln the yieldablewpipeeen- :gagin-g means Ais i associated 'with -the means lioriengagiiig :pipe Y sections -of Ydifferent "-siz'es. Still `another objecti yis 4to iprovidean improved spinningdevicewhichis hydraulicalg ly "positioned, hydraulicallyengaged -with-al drill pipepand, l;

means rfor vcenteringthe rsame with Arespect to the ydrill :pipe These and other objects and advantages -of the -invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear-dn i.

the-courseof thesensuing'description.

ln `the aecompanyin g i drawings there -is-shown Afor purposes of illustration -one form which the `invention 'may In these drawings;

Fig. l fis a plan lview illustrating apreferred 'embodi- `ment of -the spinning device with=a portion ofits associated supporting structure shown `in `horizontal section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view-of the spinning deviceshown in Fig. 1, with itsfsupporting-portio"n broken awayiand withthe.pipeengaging and-rotatyir`1gchain in operative :position with -respectfto 1the drill ypipe section. h h

Fig-3 4is aview, similar to Fig. 2, 'showing the pipeengaging and rotating chain in its released inoperative position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section -taken-in the planes-of line of Fig. 11.` h Y Fig. V5 is a -detail` vertical section taken oniline 5-5 of Fig. 1. f p h Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

`Yet another `object is -to provide 'an 2,784,626 lliiateritetl Mar. 12, ""1957 Fig. `7 is an enlarged detail plan view of thepipeen- `gagingrneansshown in Fig. l, in engagementwith a drill pipe of 'relatively large diameter.

Fig."8 sa view, similar to Fig. 7, with the pipe-engagiin'g means in engagement with a drill pipe of relatively small diameter.

In this illustrative construction, as shown in the 'drawings, the improved spinning device, generally designated 1, is "shown mounted on a supporting structure, generally `designated 2. This supporting structure may assume various forms, 'but is herein desirably similar tothatdisclosed in my copending application Serial No. 506,131, led of even date herewith. Evidently, thespinningde- Yvice may be mount'edin various conventional 'mannersiand when 1used on a conventional oil field drill rig it maybe supported on vertical guideways and positioned either 'by springs ora'uidcylin'der'insuch manner as"`to movelthe `drill :pipe engaged thereby axially in a verticaldirection tobringithe threads of thecoupling pin'of the upper'pipe section into engagement with, or out of 'engagement from, the threaded socket of the adjacent lower .pipe section. Such a 'vertically movable supportingstructure 4may Vbe similar to that disclosed in `mycopendin'gapplication Serial No.428,979, filed May 11, 1954, now`matured yinto 'Patent No. 2,760,392, dated August `28, 1956. This vertically 'adjustable mounting for `the 'spinning de- 'vice also fmay be of the type "known as `a stabbingde- Fvice which provides a spring'eilect rto jump 5the pin fout of the `socketfat*the'mornent of disengagement ofthe `joint, -and the spring means allows the 'spinning 'device tomove down with the pipe section gripped thereby to enable the connectionof the threaded pin Within'thesocketof th'eadjacent lower pipe section, all in a lwellk'nown manner.

In this instance, the supporting structure 2 `comprises Ia vertical support or post 3 and the 'spinning device is mounted at `its inner end on'this vertical support toswing `in `horizontal planes. A Ahydraulic jack'4 is connectedbe tween Ean -a'rrn 5 secured to Ithe vertical supporter post fSi and to the frame or `body of Tthe spinning device for swinging the latter horizontally and for holding the same yin'adjusted position. i

The spinning `device has a horizontal frame or'body 6 fprovided with an inner tubular portion 7 "secured to a turnable outer casing'S on -the vertical support orpost 3. The `frame 'or `body 6 has an outer enlarged portion 9 provided with a centrally located horizontal guidewa'y 10 extending radially with `respect to the axis of the vertical fsupport or 'post 3. The outer frame portion 9 `is 'composed-of upper and lower superimposed platelike portions `11 and r12'and a connecting housing portion '1"3. Pivot- 'allyinountedton vertical pivot pins 14 sp'acedequidistantly i from the axial center 1ot the frame or "body 6 are horizontally swingable arms or levers 15 which carry,`at"their outer portions,"vert`ical shafts 126 which support antifriction bearings V1'7 on which chain sprockets `ll8 are rotatably mounted. `Guided for horizontal movement longitudinally of 'the frame or body d is a slide 1'9 on which a vertical `shaft 2li is journaled in anti-friction'b'ear- 'ings 21 and desirably formed integral with this'shaft 'is a chain sprocket 22. Carried by the slideis Va housing 23 in `which the shaft Ztl and its bearings are enclosed, and this rhousing `desirably may contain a suitable lubricant *forthe moving 'parts contained therein. 'Mounted ontlte upper portion of the housing 23 on the slide'9f'isa motor M24, herein desirably a conventional reversible motor of the hydraulic type, having its vertical `power shaft ZSsuit ably coupled, at 26, to the upper portion of the shaft of the drive sprocket 22. Passing around the sprockets 18 carried at the outer portions of the lever arms and about the drive sprocket 23 is^an endless drive chain or belt l27, desirably of a relatively wide multiple construction (see Figs. 4 and 5). This drive chain extends transversely between the sprockets 18 (Fig. 3) which are idler sprockets and at its intermediate portion is adapted to embrace a drill pipe or drill collar designated 28 (Fig. 2).. This 'endless chain desirably has numerous outer serrations or gripping teeth 30 so that when the intermediate outer portion of the drive chain is brought into embracing contact with, or wrapped partially about, the drill pipe or drill collar to be rotated, the pipe is firmly gripped.

In the event an endless belt is employed in lieu of the chain, usual rollers or pulleys may be substituted for the three sprockets in an obvious manner.

In this improved construction, a pair of horizontal fluid jacks 31 are arranged longitudinally at the opposite sides of the body or frame 6 along the outer sides of the housing portion 13 (Fig. 3). These jacks comprise fluid cylinders 32 containing reciprocable pistons 33. The cylinders are pivotally mounted at their rearward ends on vertical pivot pins 34 secured within aligned openings in lateral ear-like portions 34' of the outer portion 9 of the frame or body 6. The pistons 33 have piston rods 35 projecting outwardly or forwardly from the cylinders and pivotally connected at 36 to the outer remote sides of the leverarms 15.

The lever arms are desirably composed of upper and lower plates 37 held in spaced relation by upright blocks 38 (Fig. 4) and the lever plates and blocks are t secured in rigid relation as by rivets 39 (see also Fig. 2).

The piston rods 35 have integral with their outer portions eye-members or yokes 40 which carry vertical pivot pins or trunnions 41 on which the plates of the lever arms 15 are pivotally mounted above and below the drive chain 27. These eye-members 40 are cut away, at 42, so as to clear the drive chain when the lever arms 15 are retracted, as shown in Fig. 3, and when in retracted position these eye-members or yokes straddle the drive chain. Liquid under pressure may be delivered to the jack cylinders 32 through conduits 43 from any suitable source.

' as shown in Fig. 4. When a relatively small size drill Cil Also pivotally mounted on the pivot pins 14 above and v below the plates 37 of the lever arms 15 are tong-like centering levers or arms 45 desirably composed of superimposed plates with the rearward portions of the plates of one lever interleaved with the plates of the other lever (Fig. 4). Levers 45 have curved outer or front end portions 46 which are engaged by the opposed reduced end portions 47 of the vertical shafts 16 on which the sprockets 18 are rotatably mounted. The inner portions of the levers 45 cross one another at the longitudinal median line of the frame or body 6 of the spinning device and, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the inner ends of the levers are loosely pivotally connected by vertical pivot pins 48 to slippers or pressure pads 49 which at their inner surfaces abut forwardly facing plane surfaces 50 of lateral lugs 51 integral with the slide 19 which carries the chain driving motor 24. Curved surfaces 52 on the arms engage the inner curved surfaces of the pressure pads 49 so that the pivot pins 48 take no part of the very heavy loads involved.

Threadedly secured at 53 to the housing 23 on the slide 19 is a horizontal rod 54 which extends longitudinally of the spinning device midway between the sides of the guideway 10. The inner end of this rod is threadedly secured at 55 to a circular plate 56 and interposed bepipe or drill collar, indicated at B in Fig. 8, is embraced by the drive chain the arms 15 swing inwardly toward one another and by the engagement of the shaft projections 47 with the curved outer ends of the centering levers 4S the latter, at their outer portions, are swung inwardly with the lever arms 15 thereby swinging the inner portions of the levers outwardly and through the slipper pads 49 engaging the lateral lugs 51 shoving the slide 19 outwardly or rearwardly along its guideway 10, forcing drive sproket 22 back to the proper position, thus to maintain the endless drive chain under the proper gripping pressure. As the slide 19 moves rearwardly the springs 58, 59 expand while constantly urging the slide in its outward direction. Thus, either the relatively large size or relatively small size drill pipes, or intermediate siz'es of drill pipe, may be embraced by the drive chain during the spinning operation while the pipe is at all times elfectively gripped by the chain.

The general mode of operation of the improved spinning device will be clearly apparent from the description given: As stated above, the improved spinning device is adapted for association with a conventional make and break tong and may be operated to effect its spinning function when the threaded pin of the upper pipe section engaged thereby is brought into initial engagement with the threaded socket of the adjacent lower pipe section, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. After the joint is broken, the spring or uid elevated supporting structure 2, or so-called stabbing device," by which the spinning device is carried causes the uncoupled section to jump suddenly upwardly, quickly to disconnect the joint, thus to reduce the possibility of thread damage, and during coupling of the joint the spinning device may move downwardly with the pipe section gripped thereby on its spring or fluid supporting structure.

The improved spinning device operates on substantially the same basic principle as my earlier device as disclosed in the above-mentioned copending application Serial No. 335,447. The spinning device is initially brought up against the drill pipe with the endless drive chain engaging and embracing the upper pipe section or drill collar and, as stated above, the improved spinning device may be mounted above the make and break tongs of my copending application Serial No. 428,979 referred lto above. When the drive chain of the spinning device is brought up against the drill pipe, liquid under pressure may be supplied to the cylinders 32 of the uid jacks to cause the pistons 33 to move inwardly or forwardly to swing the lever arms 15 inwardly toward one another about their pivots to bring the endless drive chain into firm gripping engagement with the drill pipe. Liquid under pressure may then be supplied to the hydraulic motor 24 to effect circulation of the endless drive chain rapidly to rotate the drill pipe section gripped thereby. The centering levers or arms 45 which are engaged by the reduced end portions of the shafts 16 on the lever arms 15 serve to center the spinning device with respect to the drill pipe and as the lever arms 15 swing inwardly with the reduced end portions of the shafts 16 in engagement wtih the centering levers 45, the slide 19 is shoved reartween this plate and an annular plate 57 secured to the housing portion 13 of the body or frame 6 are coil springs 58 and 59 arranged in concentric relation. These coil springs act on the outer plate 56 constantly to urge the .slide 19 in an outward or rearward direction within its guideway 10.

The endless drive chain 27 may embrace drill pipe sections of different dia-meters and in Fig. 7 a relaitvely large size pipe or drill collor A is shown, and at this time the arms 15 are substantially in their innermost closed justed to swing the spinning device horizontally into an position with the slide 19 in substantially its outermost or rearmost position, with the springs 58, 59 compressed out-of-the-way lateral position, in the manner disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 506,131 mentioned above.

The 'spinning device may `be operated to rotate the up per drilll pipe section grippedv 'thereby i'n either of opposite directions simply by reversing the driving motor 24 to enable the coupling of `the drill ipipe joint as well as the uncoupling thereof.

As a result of this invention, an improved drill pipe spinning device is provided for thepipe sections` of a drill 'string such as 'used in o'il well drilling; the spinning Vdevice engaging and firinlygrippig the drill "pipe in an imprvedahd 'reliable inanrer. By the provision of the yieldabl'e mounting for Vthe chain drive sprocket, together wtih the associated centering arms, the drive chain may be maintained under the proper tension irrespective of the diameter of the drill pipe section gripped thereby. Also, the improved centering levers maintain the spinning device in proper centered position with respect to the drill pipe. The improved spinning device is not only simple and reliable in operation, but is also rugged in design, well adapted for its intended purpose. Other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spinning device for drill pipe comprising a frame,

a pair of cooperating levers pivotally mounted on said frame and positioned to straddle a drill pipe, pipe-engaging and rotating means carried by said frame in association with said levers, means for swinging said levers inwardly toward one another to move said pipe-engaging and rotating means into pipe-engaging position, and cooperating means actuated by said levers for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe.

2. A spinning device as set forth in claim 1 wherein resilient means is provided for maintaining said pipeengaging and rotating means in proper gripping engagement with the drill pipe, and said centering means is associated with said resilient means.

3. A spinning device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said centering means comprises a pair of cooperating lever arms pivotally mounted on said frame and positioned to straddle the drill pipe, said lever arms being actuated by said levers.

4. A spinning device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said centering means cooperates with said resilient means for permitting engagement of said pipe-engaging and rotating means with drill pipe of different diameters.

5. A spinning device for drill pipe comprising a frame having a longitudinal guideway, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said frame in positions to straddle a drill pipe, an endless pipe-rotating member guided on said frame and cooperating with said levers, means for swinging said levers about their pivots to bring said endless rotating member into gripping engagement with the drill pipe, a slide guided for movement along said guideway, guide members carried by said slide and said levers for guiding said rotating member for circulation relative to said frame and said levers, resilient means cooperating with said slide for maintaining said endless member under proper tension when in pipe-engaging position, and centering arms pivotally mounted on said frame and actuated by said levers for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe.

6. A spinning device as set forth in claim 5 wherein said centering arms cooperate with said slide.

7. A spinning device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said slide has plane transverse abutment surfaces at the sides thereof and` said centering arms at their outer en'ds react Asaid centering arms cooperate with said resilient means `for enabling said levers and said endless rotating member `to cooperate with drill pipe of different diameters, said centering arms cooperating with said slide to move Athe latter along. itsguideway when` pipe sections of different diameters are engaged by said endless rotating member.

10. A spinning device for drill pipe comprising a frame providing a longitudinal guideway, a slide guided for movement along said guideway, a motor driven member carried by said slide, a pair of levers pivotally mounted on said frame in positions to straddle the drill pipe, guides carried by said levers, an endless drive member driven by said motor driven member and guided by said guides on said levers, said endless drive member engageable with a drill pipe section for rotating the latter, spring means for urging said slide outwardly along its guideway for maintaining said endless drive member under proper tension, and a pair of centering arms pivotally mounted on said frame in positions to straddle the drill pipe, said centering arms being actuated by said levers for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe.

l1. A spinning device as set forth in claim 10 wherein the pivots for a lever and arm of each pair are coaxial.

12. A spinning device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said centering arms react against said slide to move the latter outwardly along its guideway as said endless drive member is brought into engagement with drill pipe of different diameters.

13. A spinning device for drill pipe comprising pipegripping and rotating means, means for moving said pipegripping and rotating means into gripping relation with a drill pipe, and cooperating means actuated by said moving means upon movement of said gripping and rorotating means into pipe-gripping position for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe.

14. A spinning device as set forth in claim 13 wherein said gripping and rotating means includes a member movable into pipe-engaging position, said moving means includes an element for moving said member, and said centering means includes a movable centering member actuated by said moving element.

l5. A spinning device for a drill pipe comprising a frame, pipe-engaging and rotating means, means on said frame for moving said pipe-engaging and rotating means into and out of operative relation with the drill pipe to be rotated, and cooperating means actuated by said moving means for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe upon movement of said pipe engaging and rotating means towards operative relation thereof with the drill pipe.

16. A spinning device as set forth in claim 15 wherein yieldable means is provided in association with said centering means for maintaining said pipe engaging and rotating means in proper gripping engagement with the drill pipe.

i7. A spinning device as set forth in claim 16 wherein said yieldable means operates with said centering means for permitting engagement of said pipe engaging and r0- tating means with drill pipe of different diameters.

18. A spinning device for a drill pipe comprising a frame, a support member movably mounted on said frame, a motor driven member carried by said support member, actuating elements mounted on said frame for movement relative thereto, pipe-engaging and rotating means operatively associated with said actuating elements, means for moving said actuating elements to eiect engagement of said pipe-engaging and rotating means with the drill pipe, yieldable means for urging said support member in one direction in relation to said frame for maintaining said pipe-engaging and rotating means in proper relation with the drill pipe, and centering means movably mounted on said frame and operatively associated with said actuating elements for centering the device with respect to the drill pipe.

19. A spinning device as set forth in claim 16 wherein said yieldable means includes a yieldably mountable member and said moving means for said pipe-engaging and rotating means includes a moving element coacting with said yieldable mounting member.

20. A spinning device as set forth in claim 19 wherein motor operated means is provided fordriving said pipe engaging and rotating means including amotor driven velement carried by said yieldably mounted member.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES v2,450,934 Calhoun Oct. 12, 1948 2,523,159 Stone Sept. 19, 1950 2,544,639 Calhoun Mar. 13, 195,1 2,615,681 True Oct. 28, 1952 2,650,070

Lundeen Aug. 25, 1953 

